*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is West Virginia.*
“I’m tired of tugging my hair
And scratching my neck ’til it’s red
And I’m wired from all of the coffee
I’m funneling into my head
My legs are jelly at night
From boogiein’ straight into bed
And I try to straighten it out
And get tangled all over again” – “Boomerang”
Rozwell Kid are an unusual landmark band, breathing life into the saturated market of pop punk. They take a quirky look inside the body politic of American society much the same way that David Lynch does with his vignettes of life in his movies.
The band began their recording career in 2011 with the release of ‘The Rozwell Kid LP’. The band is currently comprised of Jordan Hudkins (Vocals/guitar), Adam L. Meisterhans (Guitar), Devin Donnelly (Bass/vocals) and Sean Hallock (Drums/percussion). They are a band great for driving to. The music burns into your brain and the melodies stay with you like warm memories retrieved from neverending Summer days.
I discovered this band when looking for West Virginia rock and they did not disappoint! I am now hooked on their flavorsome tunes and clever wordplay.
After numerous releases, Rozwell Kid issued an album titled ‘Precious Art‘, which was their first on SideOneDummy. The album received positive reviews from numerous publications. To my mind, this is absolutely the greatest pop punk record I have ever heard. This may sound hyperbolic, but it really is that good. You have glorious upbeat songs to counteract the trail of terror that is modern life. They take a unique and clever look at the world and you find yourself wanting to shout “hell yes!” I am moving through some dark places at the moment and this is helping loads to banish the personal demons.
The record announces its birth with the fine “Wendy’s Trash Can“, which is a rather splendid dose of dumbness. The mix is clear, the vocals as good as any pop singer, the guitars buzz sympathetically and the drums add swagger.
Other highlights include the clever “Boomerang“, with the ear worms burrowing into my brain. “Booger” makes me laugh with its infantile lyrics and a lovely harmony guitar solo that is as unexpected as is welcome. My favorite lyrics are for “Blow It” (as it applies to me, for sure) and I leave you with them below. Suffice to say, Rozwell Kid will be playing in my house/car/workplace for years to come!
“I’m out of patience to commit
I’ve got a shallow bag of tricks
And I don’t know the first thing about what I’m doing”
